Friday, February 3, 2012

SGK to PP: "I'm not quittin' you!"

Just a few days ago, the Susan G. Komen organization announced plans to distance themselves from the long-standing relationship with Planned Parenthood. Many of us took this news to be an answer to prayers, and maybe it was, but maybe not in the way we expected it to be.

This morning SGK released this statement that seemed to indicate it is buckling under the bullying influence of Planned Parenthood and its minions:

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.

The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.

Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.

Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities."

I see this as a confirmation that Susan G. Komen is not interested in actually saving women's lives. They are, quite simply, still all about placating the media in order to stay in good graces with those whose influence is most visible. They recognize that the media is powerful, that many people are content with downloading what they see as a popular cultural opinion as opposed to the truth, even if it's as blatant as the Planned Parenthood's phony mammography services.

I had sent an email in support of their recent decision, "liked" them on their FB page, and had written a comment thanking them for their continued support of women. I thanked them on behalf of myself and my daughters. It is to be assumed that many others had also sent them emails in support of their decision for life. The combination of both women for and against their withdrawing of funding seems to have scared them away from making such a stand, and now they want to go back to the illusion of neutrality.

What they don't realize is that their version of neutrality really just takes them back to where they started, in the back pocket of the Planned Parenthood, which is really not the place for an organization that claims to support women should be. It's hypocrisy. And it's really hard to quit it.

UPDATE:

In the interest of getting the complete story, I wish to share this insight from Jill Stanek:

"This statement represents nothing new. Komen and CEO Nancy Brinker had already stated they would continue to fund Planned Parenthood’s existing grants through 2012 (one through 2013). Brinker told Andrew Mitchell that number was three. Other reports and my source say the number is five.

If Planned Parenthood is found guilty of criminal investigations, several of which are ongoing around the states (Medicaid fraud in Texas and California; fraudulent reporting and illegal abortions in Kansas, and yes, the federal Congressional investigation, etc.), Komen’s criteria will still disqualify Planned Parenthood from receiving grants, as it should.

This is Komen’s attempt to get the abortion mafia off their backs. Planned Parenthood and its thugs have engaged in typical shakedown: Give us money or we will destroy you.

Be savvy. Nothing has changed. Komen is merely trying to to get some breathing room."

I hope so.

Second UPDATE:
Both Planned Parenthood and Nancy Pelosi are thrilled with this morning's statement. Something sickens me about this. I don't have the stomach for dirty politics. Never did.

That's why I don't place my trust in politics. My faith is in Christ and His Holy and Immaculate Bride, the Church. We know who wins the battle, and God willing, I won't end up on the losing team.

"Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, solid in your faith."

1 comment:

First is the numerous studies which are now out indicating a strong relationship between abortion and breast cancer --- a few studies put the risk of breast cancer at 40% higher for those who have had an abortion. It doesn't take much internet searching to read these studies. For Komen to support Planned Parenthood is to subvert its stated mission.

Second is the financial position of Koman's Race for the Cure. To describe it as a "race" is like saying a Hummer gets good mileage; it's only true if you place many qualifiers on the description. At Guidestar.org you can look up the tax returns (Form 990) of any non-profit. The "Race" raises almost a $100M, of which about half is spent on the running of the races it sponsors. Less than 20% is spent on actual cancer research --- I think, because much of that goes to colleges. A significant portion of the "race" monies are spent on "awareness" --- brochures which remind you to get a checkup.

To my mind, that "race" is really a slow walk, and one which I stopped supporting years ago.